Defiance against Ziaul Haq’s anti-women policies

Karachi
The Aurat Foundation screened a documentary “Mein Safar Mei Hoon” at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies (CEWS) at University of Karachi on Thursday to mark the National Women Day.
The day is commemorated across the country on February 12 to mark the struggle initiated by women rights activists in 1983 against the anti-women policies and legislation by military dictator General Zia ul Haq.
On the historic day, women activists who gathered at Lahore Mall Road to protest against the Law of Evidence that reduced the testimony of women to half of men, were stopped from proceeding to the Lahore High Court and were baton-charged and tear gassed.
The documentary focuses on the 100-year journey of women all over the world, particularly highlighting the achievements and sacrifices of Pakistani women, starting from 1911 till 2011. It portrays a positive image of Pakistani women and highlights their achievements in different fields of life and carries a very motivating message that women can excel at anything they do provided they are determined, committed, and strong.
Resident Director Aurat Foundation Mahnaz Rahman emphasised the fact that “gender discrimination begins at home with different roles assumed and given to the young boys and girls of the family.
She said, “The conditioning that happens as a result is what gets ingrained into the psyche and sets the scene for the way a girl is treated throughout her life. Adding to that is the curriculum which also differentiates between gender roles.”
Former Justice Majida Razvi, the chairperson of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, highlighted the various laws that have been passed for the protection of women’s rights, especially the Family Laws Ordinance, Women Protection Act, Harassment at Workplace Act, and Child Marriages Restraint Act.
She also explained the Hudood Laws implemented during the military regime of Ziaul Haq that wreaked havoc on women and children, as there was no differentiation made between rape and adultery/fornication, and led to hundreds of women being sent to jail on charges of adultery.
Responding to a question by a CEWS student that women’s status hasn’t changed much despite many conferences held, the panelists said that unless there was a change in power dynamics and societal attitudes, women would continue to face discrimination issues.
The panelists viewed that advocacy was the only way to achieve greater demand and commitment towards women’s rights, and many civil society organisations like Aurat Foundation were working towards this goal.
Aurat Foundation is implementing a five year, USAID supported Gender Equity Programme (GEP) in collaboration with The Asia Foundation, which aims at closing the gender gap in Pakistan by proactively supporting the development of women and seeks to facilitate behavioural change in society by enabling women to access information, resources and institutions, and improve societal attitudes towards their rights.